The Impossible Dream
by TheEnemy57
Summary: Rose has a recurring dream about the death of the Doctor which leaves her with burning questions that even the meta-crisis clone can't answer.
1. The Impossible Dream

**A/N: Just an idea I had for a while now. Eleven/Rose.**

* * *

It was only April, but it felt like being in summer heat – unusually too warm for her liking. The unsettlingly vague feeling of being watched was constant and involuntary shivers were common despite the sweltering heat. Rose scanned the unfamiliar surroundings in hopes of finding someone she could talk to so she could find her way back. "Help!" she screamed, but there was no response. "Can someone help me?" she shouted once more, and still, there was no response. The place looked too foreign and deserted and she began to worry. She patted her pockets for her mobile phone so she could call for rescue but realised she didn't have it with her. She also didn't have any weapons that might be useful for her protection. She was never quick to give up, and so she continued walking along the empty, sandy road until she spotted a lake where there was a vehicle parked near it.

Her heart raced. Relief filled her veins. She ran towards the silver car on pure adrenaline. The blue lake and sandy shore gradually came into view. She spotted another vehicle parked in the sand, a red one. There were five people by the lake. She first noticed the man who was wearing a cowboy hat which was almost too big for him, followed by the ginger girl, whose striking red hair reminded her of a friend. Still racing towards them, Rose shouted for their attention. "Hey!"

"Hello?! Can someone please help me?!"

They didn't turn.

She stopped as soon as her eyes landed on the astronaut who appeared out of nowhere and was standing in the lake. She leaned against a stop sign, panting, and short of breath. It reminded her of the time she visited NASA, where she had to research the craters on the moon for an investigation she was working on in Torchwood, with her partner, Doctor Smith. She squinted at the man who was no longer wearing his big hat. The astronaut held out a hand. A green glow of light overwhelmed him and he collapsed helplessly to the ground.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Rose screamed at the top of her lungs.

* * *

_Pete's world._

Rose's own cries woke her up from her nightmare. She gasped as she felt a tug on her hand and flinched.

"It's me," Doctor Smith said. "What happened?"

"Doctor?" she questioned, hastily searching for the switch to turn on the night lamp. As it bathed the room in orange glow, she sighed, feeling relieved to have him by her side.

"You're in shock. Nightmare?"

She nodded.

Doctor Smith stroked her soft, blonde hair, in an attempt to comfort her. He then placed his arm around her shoulders until she wasn't breathing heavily anymore. She leaned her head against him, revelling in the warmth of his embrace.

"What was it about?"

She pondered for a moment, searching for recollections. She didn't answer him as there wasn't any. "I can't even remember."

* * *

In Torchwood Institute, Doctor Smith and Rose were studying the recent and strangely deep crater that had just mysteriously appeared on Earth's moon. They, as well as the rest of the Torchwood team, believed it wasn't caused by asteroids or meteoroids as the impact seemed almost alien-like, possibly a crashed space-ship. If the theories were true, how could a crashed ship just disappear? The team had been thoroughly researching as to what kind of ships could cause such a deep crater. They were also figuring out if this was some kind of threat.

It was during these times that the team felt thankful to have Doctor Smith to assist them as he had such a deep understanding about space. He was the Doctor's clone after all. It was also during these few times that Rose thought about him, _her_ Doctor. The one who was just another page in her past; a page she'd always re-read - whose touch could easily make her heart flutter and make her feel like she actually mattered, and not just a tiny speck of existence in the vastness of space and time. When such thoughts seeped into her mind, she wouldn't stop thinking. She thought about his whereabouts right at the moment, if he was safe on the other world with perhaps new companions, if he was in danger, if he still looked the same or had he changed, if he was still alive. Sometimes she could still feel the pangs of anger and confusion as when he left her for the second time at Bad Wolf Bay, just like that, abruptly, with his meta-crisis clone without a proper goodbye. Throughout the entire time spent rebuilding a new life with Doctor Smith, she tried to understand why, but she couldn't quite get it. She was happy with her new life in Pete's World with Doctor Smith and she enjoyed being in new adventures with him, especially working for Torchwood together. She even cherished their relationship, but she never really had closure. Sometimes she missed the Doctor.

She would then brush it all away because there wasn't any point in missing him. It was impossible for him to be where she was. She couldn't even try. But then it would be nice, she thought, to see him again… even just a glimpse.

Once her shift had ended, she packed and said goodbye to her co-workers before making her way to Doctor Smith's office.

She knocked on his door.

"Come in," he called.

She entered. "Ready to go?"

"Oh it's just you," he flashed a silly grin. "You know, Rose, you don't have to knock."

"I want to because you look really handsome when you're serious."

He took off his glasses. "What? You mean I'm not handsome when I sleep? Or when I'm doing this?" He took out his sonic screwdriver from his suit pocket and pointed it at the stereo.

"Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba Sithi uhm igonyama!"

She couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba Sithi uhhhm –"

"Yes! OK, all right, you're handsome no matter what. Even when you're singing along to The Lion King theme."

Still amused, she grabbed his hand and he squeezed it. "Let's go."

Turning off the stereo, he turned to face her and in a serious tone he said. "I think you mean Allons-y?"

She smiled. He was still the same Doctor.

* * *

That night, she had the same dream. The deserted highway. The lake. The unfamiliar surroundings. The sandy shore. The red and silver cars. The mystery man. The astronaut. The green glow.

However the dream was a little different this time. There was an additional detail to it. She saw a familiar yellow glow emitting out of the mystery man, akin to the regeneration energy she'd seen twice in her life. She heard something too, loud and clear, a name which made her heart race.

"Doctor!"


	2. The Unintended Destination

It was the day before the Doctor's death. The sun seemed brighter than usual, as if omniscient; showering him with shine for a moment before he conformed to his doom. He knew he was coming to his demise. He'd initially planned on visiting a former friend, or lodger, someone whom he hadn't disappointed yet, but inevitably ended the day with him by defeating a group of Cybermen. He could still remember when it happened the previous time, with his tenth incarnation. Death and growth happening at the same time, on his own, and not long after he was about to face it again. The curse of a Time Lord. Only this time, it was just death. He knew how painful it could be, physically and emotionally. He didn't want to be alone. He'd want his friends by him. He entered the TARDIS wearing his new Stetson, a farewell gift from Craig. He observed the monitor for a long moment. "Well, I guess this is it," he thought. "My silence, my death."

As the TARDIS spun freely in the time vortex, the Doctor kept thinking of a plan, wondering how he could escape death this time without some kind of paradox or the possibility of the universes collapsing. He didn't want to die. He'd always cheated death by regenerating, but he knew a fixed point in time meant his existence was to be entirely erased. He remembered when he attempted to manipulate certain fixed points, which only resulted in drastic changes in timelines. Like back when he saved the people from Mars. It was something he couldn't risk again.

All of a sudden, the TARDIS rocked violently by an explosion. Sparks flew like fireworks from the controls. The Doctor got thrown back, falling helplessly to the floor and accidentally hitting his head against a railing. He struggled to stand on his feet but the force causing the quake was too strong. It reminded him of the time he was crashing right after he regenerated, where he landed in Amelia's backyard. He hoped to be as lucky this time. He decided to crawl towards the console. He summoned strength to slide forward, reaching his hand out. He managed to grab hold of a lever. He groaned as he pulled it up. The lights immediately went off and the TARDIS stopped functioning all together.

He checked if the console might be damaged. He took out his sonic screwdriver out of his breast pocket and pointed it around for a scan. It stopped working. He began to panic and grow frustrated at the same time. He walked around the dark console room, deciding on his next move. "Hold on," he muttered to himself. "Something similar… something like this... has happened before." He surmised he must've fallen out of the time vortex once again, or possibly stuck inside the Void. Or that he could've even penetrated through a wormhole.

Worried, he stepped out of his TARDIS almost instantly, where he was unexpectedly greeted with an astounding view of a beach. The wind, scented with salt, stroked his face. The rhythm of the crashing waves seemed oddly familiar. He jabbed a finger into the sand beneath him and licked it. "Earth," he concluded. "Could it be…?"

He spotted a jogger and waved enthusiastically, stopping her.

"Hiya," he grinned widely. "I'm The Doctor and I was just wondering…"

"Hi…" she said in a confused manner. "Yeah?"

"Where exactly am I?"

"Did you go to one of those parties last night?" she chuckled.

"Sorry, parties?"

"Yeah, I mean, you looked pretty smashed, not remembering your real name and shit. I think you got thrown off here. Were you dressed as a cowboy? "

He touched his hat and his face lightened. "Oh, yes, I do remember now. Some really great party last night. All the dancers were so lovely. I was lovely." He threw his hands in the air and started imitating the dance he did at Amy's wedding.

She laughed. "Jeez, you're funny. You're at Dålig Ulv Stranden. If you're thinking about getting to town, you might wanna take the bus right there."

He'd been right with his first guess – parallel universe. He didn't know if it was the strong wind that made him suddenly hard to breathe.

"You okay, mate?"

"Y-yeah… Thank you."

"Right then, bye!"

And she sprinted away.

Why always this place? He thought. He was starting to hate the familiar sense of this broad beach. This place was where he'd been forced to separate from Rose; not once but twice. And soon it was going to be the third. He could still feel pain, as if some part of him still missed and ached for her. He'd love to see her again, but he couldn't tell how she might react to his new form, new TARDIS, new companions. He shoved his thoughts away, knowing the chances of a reunion were slim. After all, he was in Norway. There were other things he needed to worry about, like his crashed TARDIS. To top it all, his death awaited.

He terribly wanted to leave Pete's World. He questioned himself if there could be a reason why he was drawn here once again; twice by _accident._ He returned to the TARDIS and peered into the bowels, searching for anything that signalled hope for his return. He shone a flashlight and the flickering light of the Arton power cell glowed back at him.

He hurriedly picked it up. It was no longer glowing. He groaned. "Why aren't you working?"

He knew the power cell could be repaired. All he needed was to find someone with an understanding of alien technology. He thought about someone like Captain Jack, and then Torchwood flashed in his mind. Rose Tyler and the meta-crisis were in Torchwood.

He did a scan of the location. His screwdriver indicated there were signs of civilisation. He discovered a fairly small town on the hill. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, "Maybe there's a Torchwood somewhere."

He passed by a few rows of shops, stopping occasionally to admire his reflection or fix his bowtie. He came across a particular one that had a Middle-Eastern collection. He entered the shop jubilantly. He took off his western hat and replaced it with a fez, smiling widely at himself in the mirror. He thought about the events that led to the Big Bang 2. He thought about Amy, Rory and River. He'd been thinking too much today. He didn't like it.

"Looks good on ya, better than the cowboy hat," said the shopkeeper. "Gonna buy that?"

"Well," he replied nonchalantly. "I haven't decided yet. Let me just ask… if you were gonna die, would you wear a fez or a Stetson?"

She scrunched her face up. "Um, what?"

"Nevermind, I was just, you know, making conversation." He checked himself in the mirror again.

She rolled her eyes. "Freak."

The Doctor left the shop empty-handed, not deciding on the fez. He accidentally bumped into someone. He glanced up at him to apologise but stopped short when he saw the person's face. The Doctor's eyes were glued on him. He was looking right into his old self.

"Sorry," The Doctor uttered.

"Nah," said the man in a suit. "Won't blame you, that door's quite heavy. Everyone stumbles out." He grinned.

"Do you happen to work for Torchwood?" The Doctor just had to ask.

Doctor Smith gave a little gasp. "How did you –?"

"I need your help."

"But how did –?"

The Doctor stuffed his hand in his coat pocket and showed him the power cell. "Can you help me repair this?"

Smith observed the diamond-like object with his glasses. He twirled it around in his hand. "Looks like a power cell of some sort... Doesn't seem to be working. This is an Arton power cell. You can only get this in the…" His mouth dropped open in surprise. "You're…" He couldn't believe it.

The Doctor beamed and they embraced. "Eleven!"

"But how…?" Doctor Smith's face crumpled into a confused look.

"Crash-landed, again. Or something else could be drawing me here."

"You look, uh, all right, could've been worse," Smith touched the Doctor's chin. "This, though."

The Doctor brushed his hand away. "Don't touch the chin!"

"And the hair! What's up with that?" Smith laughed.

The Doctor flashed a look of annoyance.

"Right, but I actually do like the touch of the bowtie."

"This, I know." He smiled widely as he adjusted it. "Anyway, what are _you_ doing in Norway? Aren't you supposed to be in Torchwood, defending the Earth from extra-terrestrial threats?"

"Well, we live here now, right over there," Smith pointed to the street of houses. "Me and Rose. It was her idea. You remember Rose?"

The Doctor nodded. "How could I forget?"

Smith smiled. "She seems so drawn to this beach. She suggested we got a house here. It was mutual. Us, Pete, Jackie, and the new child, living together wasn't been very pleasant."

The Doctor grimaced. "Jackie, yeah, I know how she could be."

"Well then," Doctor Smith played around with the power cell, throwing it in the air and catching it. "Let's help you out with this."

"Are you and Rose married?" The Doctor blurted, then realised what he'd just said.

"I don't think," Smith said. "We're partners. We live together."

The smile that formed on the Doctor's lips was half-hearted.

"Where is she then?"


End file.
